Pedal attachment for dancing



Dec. 1s, 1934. G, B, REED 1,984,989

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR DANCING AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 17, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l @eoel- Reed,

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR DANCING AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 17, 1929 2sheets-sheet 2 Ellllllllll I 'eofye eed] y ,mf f

Patented Dec- 18, 1934 l UNITED dSTATES PATENT OFFICE PEDL ATTACHJWENTFOR. VDANCING AND THE LIKE This invention relates to floor contactingdevices for use with footwear used for purposes of amusement, exerciseand public exhibition, etc., and has for its object the provision 'ofsuch de-v vices as enable the wearer to indulge in novel movements, suchas cannot be obtained with devices of this class heretofore known.

More specifically, Athe invention resides in the provision of floorcontacting means of markedly differential frictional characteristics ,soarranged to be alternately available at the will of the wearer.` l

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is an underneath view of a shoeequipped with a preferred form of means embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal cross sectional view of the lowerportion of the shoe shown in Fig. 1, in one positioning thereof.

Figure 3 is 'a transverse section of the same shoe on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2, in another positioningthereof.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal central sectional view of a shoe embodyinganother modification of my'4 Figure 14 is a central longitudinalsectional` view of another modication of my invention.

Figure 15 is an underneath view of the modication shown in Fig. 14.

In dancing of the type of which ballet dancing and barefoot dancing areexamples, any sliding action of the foot, while any great portion of theweight of the dancer is upon it, is virtually impossible due to theclinging characterof the ballet slipper or the bare feet resnectively,such dancingbeing limited to walking, running andj jumping motions,posturing and the like. In the case of common ballroom dancing with therelatively hard and smooth leather soled shoes or dancing pumps commonlyused, a certain degree of sliding'motion may be obtained if a suloientlysmooth oor and oor contacting shoe sur- Afaces are used. On the otherhand, if the floor and shoe surfaces are such as to permit sliding, theywill also provide but little traction'for the purpose of propulsion, andcertainly both traction andsliding cannot be provided in marked degreeby any single combination of floor and shoe surfaces. For this reason,unless the dancer runs a considerable distance in order to acquirespeed, but very little sliding is possible, other than certain draggingmotions of a foot upon which the dancer is placing but little weight.

In the case of skating, a sliding or gliding motion of great freedom isobtained, and also considerable traction under the control of theskater, but both the gliding and the traction have limitations as todirection. For instance, in the case of ice skates, free gliding islargely limited to the projected paths of the skate blades, while inroller skates the gliding motion is limited toA the projected paths ofthe rollers. Furthermore, iny both ice skates and roller skates, thetractive or propulsive effect is largely limited to directions obliqueto the paths of said blades or rollers respectively. For these reasonsthe attainment of any but quite limited motions or evolutions in skatingrequires great skill and practice, and is especially diilicult in thecase of couples performing face to face in close juxtaposition. Y Bynovel means, which I will hereinafter describe, I attain gliding ofgreater freedom rthan that commonly attained in ballroom dancing, thisgliding being moreover not restricted to certainv paths or directions asin skating, and I further provide traction greater than in equivalentballroom dancing, yet less limited in direction than that provided byskates. y

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1, I show the floor contactingportions of a shoe em- -bodying a preferred form of my invention., The

In my preferred form, the first named portions leather sole and heel,the frictional material may be attached thereto by any suitable means,as cement, and the anti-frictional material may be fastened to saidleatherA by any suitable means as the screws 24.

Figs. 2 and 3 show sections of the same shoe, and indicate that theanti-frictional surfaces 22 and 23 preferably project slightly beyondthe general depth of the frictional surfaces 20 and 21. It is thus clearthat if the shoe be held substantially level upon a suitably smoothfloor surface, as 25, only the anti-frictional meanswill be in contactwith said floor.

However, if, as shown in Fig. 4, the shoe be tilted as in the act oftaking a forward step, then will the frictional surface 20 be broughtinto contact with the floor. Moreover, as will be /clearly seen byreferring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in this embodiment of my invention, bytilting the shoe either laterally or rearwardly, as in the act ofstepping respectively sideways or backwards, the frictional sur'faceswill be similarly brought to bear against the floor.

The floor surface may be any one or more of a variety of substances suchas the common waxed and polished ballroom floor, polished steel or othermetal, tile, marble, special compositions, linoleum, ice or any surfacedesired for dancing or exercise. The floor surface may, moreover, beeither lubricated or unlubricated, and for use with certain embodimentsof my invention later described, may be of distinctly frictionalcharacter, such as concrete.

The anti-frictional floor contacting parts of the shoe may be any one ormore of a number 'of substances best suited to the type of oor uponwhich the invention is used, and the dancing or other motion desired;among the anti-frictional means usable being polished steel or othermetal,

polished Wood, oil-impregnated Wood, lubricant compositions4 and thelike, and rollers or balls.

'Ihe frictional iioor contacting parts of the shoe may similarly be ofvaried character, such as rubber, or rubber substitutes, compositionscontaining resins or other frictional matter, abra-4 sives, spikes orserrations and the like.

I have found that upon atypical waxed and polished wooden dancing floor,as an anti-frictional floor contacting shoe surface, polished stainlesssteel is satisfactory, having only from 'one-half to one-third theco-eflicient of friction of the common leather sole upon said floor,under pressures similar to the treading weight thereon of a wearer. Asfrictional means upon a similar floor, I have found that a common gradeof rubberhas upwards of twice the coefllcient of friction of a commonleather sole. It will thus be readily understood that with a shoetreading surface of the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4,'adistinctly novel and varied form of motion may be obtained at .the willof the wearer, stepping or thrusting being possible inany directionrapidly and with marked security, by merely inlclining the foot in thatdirection, yet sliding being as readily obtainable in any`direction, byrest- A ing the weight squarely upon one or more of 'the anti-frictionaltread portions.

For use upon ice or the like I contemplate a treading surface as shownin Fig. 5, the antifrictional'portions 26 and 27 being'of steel or othersuitable metal, and the. frictional portions 28 and 29 being ofcoarseabrasive or spikes or serrations as shown. 'I'he anti-frictionalportion of my floor-contactmg means is not necessarily limited. t9 il'surface 1,984,989 1 in the commonly understood sense of the term.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show an elevation, some parts in section, and anunderneath view respectively, of a shoe, the anti-frictional means ofwhich consists of roller casters 32. These casters are free to turnabout their pivots 33 so that gliding action upon the rollers 34 ispossible in any direction when the foot of the wearer is heldsubstantially level, this gliding motion being entirely different fromthe limited paths of roller skates. Instead of casters, metal balls maybe used as shown in Fig. 8, these balls carrying the wearers weightthrough anti-frictional ball seating blocks 36 of oil-impregnated woodorthe like. In this case, as in the case of the casters, the oor 37 may beof quite frictional character greater than the seating blocks 36 inorder to more readily induce the balls 35 to turn. A variety of otheranti-frictional means may be devised, all within the scope' of myinvention.

It is to be understood that the exact construction of my preferred formis not to be construed a limitation of my invention. For instance,instead of a leather-soled shoe, I show in Fig. 9 a shoe of the typecommonly known as a sneaker,

the entire sole and heel of which is of rubber, thus.

providing the frictional surfaces without further adaptation orattachment, while the anti-frictional surfaces 3l may be of sheet metalreadily clinched into said rubber sole as shown at 31'.

The invention further is not limited to an actual shoe, the frictionaland anti-frictional means bing, if desired, attachable to or'detachablefrom an ordinary shoe. As an illustration of one such embodiment of myinvention, I show in Fig. 10'

a detachable over-shoe having similar iioor contacting means to thosehereinbefore described.`

vsurrounding the anti-frictional portion is largelyI to prevent thefalling of one unskilled in the use` ofthe shoe, through accidentalslipping of the foot as is likely to occur upon skates.

However, the distribution of surfaces `of Fig. 1 is only one ofinnumerable variations which may be devised for varied forms of steps,Figs. 11, 12 and 13 showing underneath views of three forms productiveof widely different results yet all having the common broadcharacteristics of my invention. The oor contacting means may furthernot be divided according to the commonv subdivisions of half-sole andheel, Figs. 14 and 15 tively, of a shoe in which the central portion,occupied by the non-oor contacting arch in common shoes, is utilized asa portion of my invention.

It is to be. further understood that either the frictional or theanti-frictional floor contacting` surfaces of the various forms 'of myinvention may be either substantially flat or curved in variouselevations thereof without affecting th'e spirit of my invention. In anyevent, I have found it desirable when using substantially flatanti-frictional metal surfaces to round all breaks in convshowing asection and underneath view, respectinuity of said surfaces as the edge39 iFlg. 2, l

- in order both the more' easily to ride over minorfioorobstructions'such'as the edges of the boards and the like, and tonot mar said floor by scraping when slightly inclining the foot.

Having now described my invention, what I desire to claim as new anduseful, is:

l. A pedal attachment forexecuting various intricate movements indancing or the like, having afloor contacting area divided into surfacesexhibiting widely different frictional characteristics with respect tothe floor upon which it is used, a portion of said surfaces havingrelatively low frictional characteristics and being arranged inwardly ofsaid area and permitting free gliding movement over the floor when thefoot of the wearer is in normal position, and other portions of saidsurfaces having markedly higher frictionalv characteristics and beingarranged in positions including the extreme front and sides where theycan be brought into play upon tilting the foot in forward or lateraldirections from the normal position.

2. A pedal attachment for use in dancing or the like, comprising ai'ioor contacting area having portions arranged substantially on themedian line of both the sole and heel portions thereof having africtional characteristic approximating that of polished metal andportions nanaing said4 medially arranged portions having the irictionalcharacteristics of rubber or the like.

3. vAs an article of` manufacture, a shoe device having a substantiallycentrally located antifrictional supporting means giving the wearer astable base and `being of a character adapted to providef-ree glidingmovement in any direction irrespective of the orientation of the shoewhen it is' in normal upright position, and other suphaving'asubstantially centrally locatedsmooth supporting surface, giving thewearer a stable base and being of a character adapted to provide freegliding movement in any direction irrespective of the orientation of theshoe `when it is in normal upright position, and another supportingsurface permanently upwardly oifset from the plane of the supportingface of the first mentioned supporting surface, said 4second surfacebeing of' substantial width flanking said first mentioned surface atleast at the front and sides and of a relatively high frictlonalcharacter to provide a relatively sharp braking effect to a glidingmovement and a relatively rm hold for starting and accelerating glidingmovement in directions irrespective of the orientation of the shoe whenthe shoe is tilted from the normal upright position.

5. As an article of manufacture, a shoe device having substantiallycentrally located rotative supporting means arranged to give the wearera stable base and adapted to provide free gliding movement in anydirection irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when it is innormal upright position, and other supporting means permanently upwardlyoiiset from the plane of the supporting face of said rotative supportingmeans, said second means being of substantial width anking said firstmentioned means and of a frictional character to provide a relativelysharp braking effect to a gliding movement and a relatively iirm holdfor starting and accelerating a gliding movement in directionsirrespective of the orientation of the shoe when the shoe is tilted fromthe normal upright position.

6. As an article of manufacture, a shoe device having a. substantiallycentrally located smooth metal supporting surface giving the wearer astable base and adapted to provide free gliding movement in anydirection irrespective of the orientation of the shoe when it is innormal upright position, and other supporting means comprising a toothedgripping surface permanently upwardly oilset from the plane of thesmooth metal supporting face and flanking said first mentionedsupporting face at least at thesides thereof and providing a relativelysharp braking effect to the gliding movement and a. relatively rm holdfor starting and accelerating a gliding movement in directionsirrespective of the orientation of the shoe when the shoe is tilted fromthe normal upright position. A

` GEORGE B. REED.

